Arsenal close in on spectator who threw bottle at Tottenham's Dele Alli

England midfielder, who scored to put Spurs 2-0 up, was hit on head as he took throw-in on 73 minutes

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Carabao Cup Quarter-Final - Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - December 19, 2018  Tottenham's Dele Alli gestures to the Arsenal fans during the match   Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo
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Arsenal say they have identified an "image" of the spectator who threw a bottle that hit Tottenham Hotspur's Dele Alli in Spurs' 2-0 League Cup quarter-final victory over their bitter North London rivals on Wednesday.

The England midfielder – who scored a delightful goal to put Spurs 2-0 up – was hit on the head as he took a throw-in on 73 minutes.

Arsenal said in a statement on Thursday the whole club had "been embarrassed by the incident" and "behaviour of this type has no place at Emirates Stadium".

Arsenal had looked at the CCTV footage and had ascertained the offender had left after the incident and they had "identified an image of the suspect".

Arsenal added once they had confirmed the identity of the fan they would pass on the offender's details to police so they could initiate legal proceedings and added the supporter faces a lengthy club ban.

"We are liaising with the Metropolitan Police and investigations continue in order to apprehend the culprit," the Arsenal statement read.

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Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino praised Alli's reaction to the incident in rubbing the back of his head and gesturing towards the Arsenal fans to indicate the scoreline.

"It was an amazing reaction," Pochettino said on Thursday. "In another country maybe the player would create a problem. Dele was so honest and professional and he behaved really well.

"It was top behaviour.

"Sometimes people criticise Dele for his actions on and off the pitch but it's good to praise him today."

The incident came after a Tottenham fan was banned for four years after being found guilty of throwing a banana skin at Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when the teams met in an acrimonious clash earlier this month.